Method of authenticating a client in a client-server architecture

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for authenticating a Client in a Client-Server architecture. The method encodes the Client's input passcode using a Regulated Activation Network computational model to create a Hierarchical model. Depending upon a Policy shared between the Client and the Server, different combinations of encoded passcodes generated from the Hierarchical model, are selected. After every successful authentication operation, a new policy is generated. Because of these new policies, for every authentication attempt, the Client inputs the same passcode but the passcode communicated over the network is always different. The advantages of this method include random encoded passcode generation for the Client's identity verification. This randomness ensures that the generated encoded passcodes are never repeated in two successive authentication attempts. The use of Models, Policies, and the Client's passcode together makes the authentication method highly robust.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . Method for authenticating a Client in a Client-Server architecture, the method comprising a Model creation process, a Client creation process, and a Client authentication process; wherein,
 the Model creation process generates:   (i) a Hierarchical model ( 3 ) based on feeding a Regulated Activation Network computational model ( 2 ) with a randomly generated N-dimensional input Dataset ( 1 );   the Client creation process generates:   (i) a Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) by feeding the Hierarchical model ( 3 ) with a Client's passcode ( 7 ); the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) being saved on the Server ( 9 ) and comprises a set of encoded passcodes representing encoded versions of the Client's passcode ( 7 );   (ii) a Policy ( 5 ) for the Client's next authentication attempt, which is shared between the Client ( 12 ) and the Server ( 9 );   
       and
 the Client authentication process: 
 (i) generates, at the Client-side, a Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) by feeding the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ) with the Client's passcode ( 7 ) and a Client's Encoded passcode ( 6 ) using the Policy ( 5 ) shared between the Client ( 12 ) and the Server ( 9 ); 
 (ii) authenticates the Client ( 12 ) at the server-side if the Client's encoded passcode ( 6 ) matches an expected encoded passcode generated at the server ( 9 ) using the saved Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) and the shared Policy ( 5 ); 
 (iii) generates a new Policy ( 5 . 1 ) if the Client ( 12 ) is successfully authenticated, which is shared between the Client ( 12 ) and the Server ( 9 ) for the next Client's authentication attempt. 
 
     
     
         2 . Method according to  claim 1  wherein the input Dataset ( 1 ) is formed by data units of an integer type; each data unit is an integer value between a minimum and maximum integer; preferably, each data unit is an integer between 1 and 2000. 
     
     
         3 . Method according to  claim 1  wherein the Regulated Activation Network computational model ( 2 ) is configured to implement a k-means algorithm as a concept identifier. 
     
     
         4 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ) comprises a plurality of β layers, each layer comprising at least one node, determining the size of the layer, and wherein layer L.0 is the input layer and comprises N nodes, being N the dimension of the input Dataset ( 1 ); and layers L.1 to L.β-1 are dynamically generated layers, each of said layers storing an encoded passcode. 
     
     
         5 . Method according to  claim 4 , wherein in the Client creation process and the Client authentication process, the Client's passcode ( 7 ) is inputted in layer L.0 of the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ) and the layers L.1 to L.β-1 are dynamically generated layers, each of said layers storing an encoded passcode representing an encoded version of the Client's passcode ( 7 ). 
     
     
         6 . Method according to  claim 5 , wherein the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) is formed by layers L.1 to L.β-1 of the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ). 
     
     
         7 . Method according to  claim 1  wherein the process of generating a Policy ( 5 ), ( 5 . 1 ) is based on the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ) and comprises the following steps:
 selecting a number of elements for the Policy; preferably said number being in a range of two integer numbers, even more preferably, said number being between 5 and 60; 
 creating the selected number of Policy elements, each element being a pair of layer ID and a List of node(s) in said layer and being formed by: 
 randomly selecting a layer of the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ); the selection being made between layer L.1 and layer L.β-1; 
 creating a list by arbitrarily picking one or more nodes from the selecting layer. 
 
     
     
         8 . Method according to  claim 7 , wherein the Policy ( 5 ), ( 5 . 1 ) is a JSON script where the JSON keys are the layer-ID of the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ) and the JSON values are the node ID(s) of the layer. 
     
     
         9 . Method according to  claim 4 , wherein in the Client creation process and the Client authentication process, the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) is generated by encoding the Client's passcode ( 7 ) into varied sizes based upon the sizes of each layer (L.1 to L.β-1) of the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ). 
     
     
         10 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein in the Client authentication process, the generation of the Client's Encoded Passcode ( 6 ) comprises the following steps, at the Client side:
 (i) entering the Client's passcode ( 7 ) to the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ) to generate the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 );   (ii) applying the Policy ( 5 ) to the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) to generate the Client's Encoded Passcode ( 6 ), being formed by grouping together the respective encoded passcodes.   
     
     
         11 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein in the Client authentication process, the generation of the expected encoded passcode ( 6 ) at the server-side, comprises the following steps:
 (i) upon receiving an authentication request by the Client ( 12 ), the server loads the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ), and the Policy ( 5 ) shared with the Client ( 12 );   (ii) applying the Policy ( 5 ) to the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) to generate the expected encoded passcode ( 6 ), being formed by grouping together the respective encoded passcodes.   
     
     
         12 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the Model creation process, the generation of the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) on the Client creation process, and the generation of the Policy ( 5 ), ( 5 . 1 ) on both the Client creation process and Client authentication process are executed at the server's side; and
 the Client ( 12 ) stores the Hierarchical Model ( 3 ) and the Policy ( 5 ), ( 5 . 1 ).   
     
     
         13 . Method according to  claim 12 , wherein the Client creation process comprises the following steps:
 a Client ( 12 ) sends a Client creation request to a server administrator; the request comprising a Client's ID ( 10 ), a Client's passcode ( 7 ), and a token ( 11 );   upon successful token ( 11 ) validation by the server administrator, the Client's passcode ( 7 ) is used as input to the Regulated Activation Network computational model ( 2 ) to generate a Hierarchical model ( 3 ) and a respective Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) for said Client's passcode ( 7 );   the Client's passcode ( 7 ) and the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) are saved at the server ( 9 ) as the Client's information;   the server ( 9 ) generates a Policy ( 5 ) based on the Hierarchical model ( 3 ), and the generated policy ( 5 ) is saved at the server ( 9 ) with the Client's information as an expected Policy ( 5 ) for the next authentication attempt by the Client ( 12 );   a copy of the Policy ( 5 ) and the Hierarchical model ( 3 ) is sent to the Client ( 12 ) to be saved in the Client's system.   
     
     
         14 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the Model creation process, the generation of the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ), and the generation of the Policy ( 5 ), ( 5 . 1 ) on both the Client creation process and Client creation authentication process are executed at the Client's side; and
 the Server ( 9 ) stores the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ) and the Policy ( 5 ), ( 5 . 1 ).   
     
     
         15 . Method according to  claim 14  wherein the Client's creation process comprises the following steps:
 a Client ( 12 ) sends a Client creation request to a server administrator; the request comprising a Client's ID ( 10 ), a Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ), a Policy ( 5 ), and a token ( 11 ) that is provided by the server administrator; 
 upon successful token validation by the server administrator, the Client ( 12 ) is created with a unique ID; 
 server ( 9 ) stores the Client's ID ( 10 ), the Client's Encoded Passcode Hierarchy ( 4 ), and the Policy ( 5 ) for the next authentication attempt by the Client ( 12 ).